Caffeine in Coffee Depends on a Number of Factors
Have you ever wondered precisely how much caffeine is in that cup of coffee or espresso you are drinking?
The answer is that a typical shot of espresso contains about 40-50 milligrams of caffeine, while a typical cup of coffee has about 100-120 milligrams of caffeine. But these are not 100% correct answers.
A normal brewed coffee will contain on average, 11.8 mg caffeine per fluid ounce of brewed coffee, according to the USDA.
(brewed coffee)
Note that most coffee machine manufacturers define their “cups” as 5-oz cups. For example, a 12-cup coffee machine will be brew 60 fluid ounces of coffee. You can then multiply 60 fluid ounces by 11.8 mg to get 708 mg of caffeine per pot of coffee for that specific machine. You may be interested in our how much coffee per cup article for more details.
A fluid ounce is 30 ml of fluid, as opposed to an ounce of weight, which is 28 grams.
Of course the exact amount of caffeine depends upon various things like what type of coffee beans you are using (Robusta beans have significantly more caffeine than Arabica beans), what coffee coffee brewing method you are using, how long the coffee beans were roasted (roasted diminishes the caffeine content), the extraction time and water temperature, and other factors.
Coffee Guide
- Caffeine Content by Single Origin
- Caffeine by Coffee Brand
- Caffeine by Tea Brand
- Does a Medium Roast have more caffeine than a Dark Roast?
- Does Robusta have more caffeine than Arabica coffee?
- How Much Caffeine in a Cup of Coffee
- Caffeine Impact on Health
- Caffeine in Single Origin Coffee Beans
- Some Caffeine Stats
- Caffeine in Folgers Black Silk
Caffeine Content by Single Origin
Single Origin: Percentage (by weight)
- Brazil Bourbons: 1.20%
- Celebes Kalossi: 1.22%
- Colombia Excelso: 1.37%
- Colombia Supremo: 1.37%
- Ethiopian Harrar-Moka: 1.13%
- Guatemala Antigua: 1.32%
- Indian Mysore: 1.37%
- Jamaican Blue Mtn/Wallensford Estate: 1.24%
- Java Estate Kuyumas: 1.20%
- Kenya AA: 1.36%
- Kona Extra Prime: 1.32%
- Mexico Pluma Altura: 1.17%
- Mocha Mattari (Yemen): 1.01%
- New Guinea: 1.30%
- Panama Organic: 1.34%
- Sumatra Mandheling-Lintong: 1.30%
- Tanzania Peaberry: 1.42%
- Zimbabwe: 1.10%
- DECAFS: all @ .02% with Swiss Water Process
(Source: Newsletter–Mountanos Bros. Coffee Co., San Francisco)
eg. if you use 10 grams (10,000 mg) of coffee (generally, 2 tbsp), with 1.20% caffeine by weight, you’ll get roughly (10,000 mg * 0.012 =) 120 mg of caffeine.
Note: caffeine is not necessarily 100% extracted via all brewing methods. For example, roughly twice as much caffeine is extracted by espresso brewing methods (high pressure, high temperature) than by standard drip-brewing. This means you won’t get 120mg of caffeine per 5.3 ounce (160 ml) brewed coffee.
These numbers may be correct for the coffee offered by Mountanos Bros. Coffee Co., but they probably are not neccessarily correct in a generic way. Caffeine will vary from farm to farm, and plant variety to plant variety, and even year to year.
Should you choose a coffee based on caffeine content? Absolutely not. Coffee should be chosen based on flavor. If you need more caffeine, just drink another cup 🙂
Caffeine by Coffee Brand
Note that serving sizes vary by brand, which makes a direct comparison slightly more difficult.
Caffeine by Tea Brand
Does a Medium Roast have more caffeine than a Dark Roast?
Since coffee roasting only marginally decreases the amount of caffeine, a light roast, medium and dark roast will have negligible differences in caffeine content. There are myths that go both ways, with people claiming light roasts have more caffeine (negligibly true), and others claiming dark roasts have more caffeine (likely due to a more developed “coffee” flavor), but good old science comes to the rescue here:
Caffeine did not undergo significant degradation with only 5.4% being lost under severe roasting.
Source
This is further offset by the fact that green coffee loses anywhere from 10%-20% of it’s weight during the roasting process (evaporation of water) – meaning darker roasts may or may not have slightly more caffeine when comparing exact weights after roasting.
In general, however, it is true that a cup of regular Drip-Brewed, Arabica coffee with a medium roast will have about 120 milligrams of caffeine, and that a 30 ml shot of espresso with an espresso roast and Arabica coffee beans will have about 120 milligrams of caffeine.
Does Robusta have more caffeine than Arabica coffee?
As a general rule of thumb, robusta has approximately twice as much caffeine as arabica.
This will vary depending on specifically which arabica beans you’re comparing against specifically which robusta beans.
The only way to know this, is by submitting samples to a lab for chemical analysis.
How Much Caffeine in a Cup of Coffee
It was 1819 when German chemist named Friedlieb Runge isolated caffeine though the first coffee shops had been opened in 1530 in Istanbul, Damascus and Syria.
In nature caffeine serves as a natural pesticide helping plants defend against predators including harmful insects.
When caffeine is consumed it leads to more alertness and energy through its ability to mimic a compound called adenosine that binds to the adenosine receptors of the brain. When this happens it has the effect of blocking real adenosine from its job of creating a feeling of drowsiness and slowing nerve impulses.
- A regular 43-gram Hershey’s Milk Chocolate bar contains about 10 milligrams of caffeine.
- A typical cup of Decaffeinated Coffee containing about 7 ounces will likely have about 10 milligrams of caffeine.
- A 6 ounce cup of black tea will likely have about 50 milligrams of caffeine and green tea only about 30.
- You will get about 34 milligrams of caffeine in a 12 ounce Coke.
Caffeine can be chemically synthesized though this is not commonly done since caffeine is so easy to get as a by-product of decaffeinating substances with caffeine, such as coffee beans.
If you are wondering how much caffeine is in a cup of coffee because you are worried about your overall caffeine consumption then realize that there are many factors involved, and also remember that Instant Coffee is typically made using Robusta coffee beans which have about twice as much caffeine as Arabica coffee beans.
Caffeine Impact on Health
In general moderate amounts of coffee have only a mild effect on the body and do not cause the problems associated with excess caffeine intake.
Caffeine is actually negatively correlated with all-cause-morality: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28697850
This means that coffee drinkers have a lower chance of dying in a given year, than non-coffee drinkers. The exact mechanism is unknown (anti-oxidants, life-style factors, or being more alert), but the general consensus is that drinking coffee is healthy.
If you are trying to quit drinking coffee and worried about caffeine withdrawal symptoms due to the caffeine in coffee that your body has become so accustomed to, then just reduce your amount of intake a little each day and you will barely notice any craving effects that may be associated with stopping caffeine intake.
You can also try drinking Decaffeinated Coffee since much of the pleasure of enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning is preserved and you may not even miss the caffeine at all since the warm beverage itself does a lot to help wake you in the morning.
With the French Press brewing method using strong coffee beans one cup of coffee can have way more caffeine in it that a moderately brewed cup, so you may just try using fewer grinds when you brew your coffee. If you like to visit Starbucks and enjoy espresso drinks then perhaps just ask for one shot of espresso instead of two.
The body’s liver metabolizes caffeine after it is consumed and the stomach and small intestine absorb it, usually in less than one hour, and it proceeds to spread throughout the tissues of the body.
Caffeine in Single Origin Coffee Beans
To make a real difference in the caffeine content of a blend, you’ll need to add Robusta beans rather than playing with varieties of Arabica. The blend shouldn’t be dictated by how much caffeine you can squeeze out of it however – taste will always trump
Some Caffeine Stats
The chemical formula of caffeine is C8H10N4O2 and the chemical name of caffeine is 1,3,7-trimethylxanthine, and it is found in about 60 different plants.
About 450,000 cups of coffee are consumed in the U.S. every day.
Most humans consume their caffeine by getting it from either coffee beans or tea leaves, or else from various beverages that contain extracted caffeine, or from various natural sources like cocoa beans, the kola nut, Yaupon Holly, yerba mate and guarana berries.
Every day around 90% of adults in the U.S. consume caffeine.
Caffeine in Folgers Black Silk
Folgers Black Silk has roughly the same caffeine content as regular folgers coffee. As noted above, coffee only loses roughly 5% of its caffeine content between a light roast and a dark roast. While Folgers Black Silk is a very dark roasted, strong-tasting coffee, it will not have significantly less caffeine.
Folgers coffees contain 30-40mg caffeine per 1 tbsp of ground coffee, which is 60-80mg caffeine per 12-oz brewed coffee.
Anonymous
half-caff
actually 1/3 caff – I was told by my Dr. to cut down on the caffeine since my by-pass. It took a few weeks to drop from over 1000mg/day (lots of tripple shot lattes and red-bull yag’s) to about 100. Now I use 2 parts decaf beans to 1 part french roast (just enough to make the brew palatable.) Although I’m back up to 2-3 cups a day, my heart rate is staying under control.
Anonymous
I don’t think that is right.
I don’t think that is right. It could be weight percent. It would not correlate to making 100 g of coffee.
Anon
decreased HR
@ ortie
I actually think doses of caffeine slightly decrease heart rate…
Benowitz, Neal. “Clinical Pharmacology of Caffeine.” Annu. Rev. Med. 41 (1990): 277-88.
Page 4 of 15 in the pdf.
Since caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, the baroreceptor reflex would actually decrease heart rate to ease stress on the system…
smith
Drug Intervention Maryland
A drug, broadly speaking, is any chemical substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function.There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.It defines a drug as “a chemical substance used in the treatment,
cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being.”Drugs may be prescribed for a limited duration, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders.Some drugs can cause addiction and habituation.Many natural substances such as beers, wines, and some mushrooms, blur the line between food and drugs, as when ingested they affect the functioning of both mind and body.
================
Drug Intervention Maryland
Anonymous
A shot of espresso contains
A shot of espresso contains approx 75mg of caffeine and a 16oz cup of coffee contains about 300mg. So, 4 shots of espresso would be similar in caffeine content to 16oz of brewed coffee. But, as was mentioned earlier, espresso processing leaves the oils in, similar to what happens with a French Press, which can raise your blood fats. Coffee brewed through a paper filter will have the fats filtered out. Also, as for mild vs dark roast, the caffeine content is not different enough to measure unless you were going to do a science experiment with every cup brewed. It depends on the type of bean ex: robusta vs arabica, the varietal of tree, and many other factors. If you are worried about too much caffeine, drink water, because even decaffeinated coffee still contains caffeine.
Anonymous
Enjoying coffee
I suggest that you try a coffee enema. I know it sounds extreme but this is what I do. I have been doing them for 4 months. I have also helps 5 others with great results. Read up on google. You will find great reports. Watch the movie the Gerson Miracle.
Good Luck,
Renato D’Amico
CoffeeFAQ
Just a note to everyone: Be careful with this – it can destroy important bacteria in your colon. As with enemas in general, too frequent cleansing can also be bad for your health. Always consult a doctor first.
Anonymous
Now, all this being said…
if you experience any of the following with your consumption of caffeine…CONTACT A DOCTOR: Rapid, fluttering heartbeat; chest pain, fainting, weakness, or any change in your mental status (i.e. difficulty concentrating, speaking, etc.)
Binkie
Don’t write off decaf based on a few bad examples
To the person who said “decaf is out of the question, tried that already”: you’re making a sweeping judgement of all decaf based on trying how many? And what kinds? Should a person whose first taste of coffee was bitter burnt percolated sludge never try Starbucks? There are different quality levels available in just about everything. Think about it. If you like coffee enough, you’ll find a way to enjoy it that doesn’t give you the problem you’ve had with it so far. Just don’t give up, and don’t write off entire areas based on a few bad examples. Here’s something I’ve recently learned that might not be for you, but will hopefully open your eyes a bit: you can buy decaf green beans, roast and grind them yourself, and have some of the richest, most delicious coffee you’ve ever had, without all the caffeine. So there’s a good chance you can find a company that roasts and grinds decaf you like, and maybe even sells it via the Internet.
Good luck!
Greg
Mountanos Bros. listting of caffeine content.
The list you furnish from Mountanos Bros. claims 1.01 to 1.42 caffeine in their coffees. The question was asked as to what the units were, and one person responded they were percentages. Elsewhere, you list a brewing recommendation by the SCAA as 10g coffee in 6 oz water, resulting in 5.33 oz brewed coffee. Taking those numbers as typical, if the Mountanos Bros. list indicated % caffeine in the bean, we would have 10g coffee with 1.01% caffeine (101 mg), up to 1.42% caffeine (142 mg) in a 5.33 oz cup of coffee. If the results indicated % caffeine in the finished coffee, figuring 1 oz water as 30 grams (160 g water in a 5.33 oz cup), we would have 1616 to 2272 mg, respectively. From what you post here, and in other sources I’ve read, 101 to 142 mg sounds in the ballpark for a cup of coffee; 1616 to 2272 mg looks way out of bounds. Wikipedia notes that the LD50 for humans is in the range of 150-200 mg per kg body weight—about 12,000 mg for a 180 pound person; in other words, about 84-6 oz cups by the first reckoning (percent caffeine in the bean), and about 5 cups by the second (percent caffeine in the cup). Seems that % caffeine in the bean is the meaning of the Mountanos Bros. list.
EspressoCoffeeGuide.com
Thanks for asking! The Mountain Bros are percentages by coffee bean weight, not brewed. That means 10g (10,000 mg) x 1.42% = 142mg per 10 grams of coffee
Daniel
RE: Mountanos Bros. listting of caffeine content.
100-150 mg of caffeine is the right range for properly brewed coffee with coffee containing a fair amount of robusta pushing into the 200 mg range.
Anonymous
that was very well put! thank
that was very well put! thank you for clearing up what seemed to (maybe) confuse others.
I found it very educating.
thanks!!!
Anonymous
“low-acid” coffee is a
“low-acid” coffee is a marketing ploy. If coffee is roasted properly, then the acids in it will not harm your stomach. Change your coffee brand first. try a properly roasted coffee and you won’t have acid problems.
Anonymous
Coffee is certainly not unhealthy
In response to the earlier post stating that caffeinated coffee is harmful to one’s health…
https://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/coffee-new-health-food#1
Angus
caffeine
Like you, I suspected coffee was ‘bad’ for me and finally gave it up completely. Not only coffee, but caffeine from any source, and I’ve never felt better. Since the industry is so large [supposedly larger than the auto industry] it’s difficult to get a straight answer. Google caffeine or coffee and you’ll find it will cure every ailment known to man. Check out ‘Caffeine Blues’, online, or the book by the same name. If that doesn’t convince you to give up caffeine then nothing will.
Anonymous
For hear palpitations – sleep!
I also get heart palpitations. I thought I’d have to cut out caffeine forever, but not so. First, I try to sleep full nights. That already helps. After a one week bootcamp of cutting out caffeine, I slowly reintroduced it (first by drinking decaf, then a half-caf cafe au lait). Now I drink coffee, but in smaller servings or half-milk varieties like cafe au laits. It is actually even more enjoyable, because the coffee moment is special. If I haven’t slept, however, the heart palpitations feel more pronounced (when I drink caffeine, and just in general too).
ruzzel01
Thanks for posting this
I am addicted to caffeine. I drink 5 cups of coffee a day and I think it’s the caffeine that made me drink coffee more than one cup a day. There are advantages of caffeine, caffeine has been proven to increase work capacity, stimulate respiration, and perform Intellectual tasks more easily. Caffeine greatly increases the metabolic processes used in everyday activity, resulting in an increase in breathing rates. Caffeine can also raise some persons body temperature due to the increase in blood flow and muscle activity. Caffeine shortens reaction time and within minutes of consumption cause the drinker to feel more alert.
Ruzzel Walsh
Anonymous
coffee can be good or bad.
when i started drinking coffee i had a lot of palpitations. it turned out i had a genetic heart abnormality, wpw, and my anxiety combined with coffee and my condition was causing the palpitations. after i had a small surgery to correct it, i could drink coffee.
coffee has helped a lot with my low blood pressure. i have a lot more energy. i am also a lot less depressed. i think you just have to be careful about dosages, because it is after all, a drug like any other. some people are just more or less sensitive. i drink my cup of coffee and thats it, because a soda will keep me up all night. if you have anxiety or sleep problems, you have to be especially careful.
Declan
I was looking at a bottle of
I was looking at a bottle of mountain dew after i red this and the bottle said that there was only 36mg per 8oz instead of the 55 listed on the sight, just wanted to let you know =)
rhobb
You’re also less likely to
You’re also less likely to overeat because fruits and vegetables displace fat in the diet. And that’s not to mention the health benefits of fruits and vegetables.
Anonymous
Mountain Dew caffeine content
They must have seen your comment…I just bought a pack of Dew and looked at the 12oz. bottle info label and it clearly states:
Caffeine Content: 54 mg/12 fl oz.
Daniel
RE: Mountain Dew caffeine content
If you look at the parent he is looking at 36 mgs per 8 oz bottle. All the above contents are listed for 12 oz cans. 36mgs/8oz = 54 mgs /12 oz.
Everyone is “right” but the parent note is a little confusing because it has a different volume. I didn’t catch that difference when I was moderating the parent comment or I would have pointed that out at the time.
tom11
while you skip a cup to avoid
while you skip a cup to avoid caffeine, you just can’t seem to avoid it since it is present in almost all food and drinks. why skip?
Rob
What a bizarre statement !
What a bizarre statement ! Caffeine is certainly in SOME food and drinks – mainly drinks, but certainly not most.
Chemist at large...
Caffeine, acid, heartburn
(this is more an addition to the whole thread than the comment I’m “replying” to)
In addition to being a barista in a real coffee house (i.e. not franchised burnt coffee) for almost a decade, I’m now a scientist in a health science field.
1) Caffeine increases stomach acid production, and can also cause GERD through its effects on the nervous system.
2) pH of coffee can, and does, irritate stomach linings. Even though the numerical range between a low-acid and a regular coffee may look like a minor difference, remember pH is a logarithmic scale (and some advertised “smooth, easy on tummy” coffees don’t brew up with less acid than other coffees- just something a marketer slapped on it. there are however some well researched low-acid coffees, either by choosing specific beans, roasting temps/times, or combinations of all the above)
3) Cold brewing coffee has shown to produce a product with markedly less acidic compounds, and a more favorable pH for those with gut irritation associated with coffee. I imagine if one combined one of the high quality low-acid, with a cold-brew extraction, one could have a most agreeable (and tasty) cup o’ joe.
Anonymous
Starbucks
Funny, I always described Starbucks as bitter burnt drip sludge.
Anonymous
Caffeine in high roast cofee
I worked im the cofee industry for years. Caffeine sublimes, which means under the proper conditions it goes from a solid to a gas without going through the liquid phase. We always found it crystalized in the roaster vents with more there after high roasts than low roasts.
K cupper
So…how much less??
Good article, but why is it so hard to give an approximate number? How many mg per floz?
K cupper
Please Translate
This would be a hugely informative list if it were translated to mg per fluid ounce.
Scott B
You’ve created a confusing
You’ve created a confusing oxymoron of sorts by implying Starbucks is the best? There are no less than 5 coffee roasters in a 20 mile radius that are far superior to Starbucks….and I’m in NH!
Ben
I think the most relevant
I think the most relevant comparison between dark and light roasts of the same bean would be the mg of caffeine per cup of brewed coffee of the same subjective strength. I roast my own. Lightly roasted coffee is more acidic and bright tasting but also thinner in body, so I tend to have to use a bit more. Darker-roasted has more of that familiar smoky and bitter taste. You can use a bit less in the filter. So, the darker roast feels fuller, but the lighter roast has comparatively more kick in the cup. Anecdotal evidence only.
A random guy in America..
Caffeine’s affects on the stomach..
Well, you have definitely stated your authority, but from what I have studied, and I don’t know if anyone else has said anything like this yet, but caffeine itself does make heartburn more frequent, not only because of the acid levels but also because it makes the sphincter that holds all the “stuff”, for lack of a better word, in your stomach back and doesn’t let it get into your esophagus, to not work as hard and be weaker; thus, it lets more acid from your stomach go back up into your esophagus. Am I wrong? I know this is a pretty old thread, but I found it interesting. =) And sorry for the long sentence. I do that sometimes. Cheers.
cleta
Difference
Hey Its really depends on what anyone thinks about it. As some people likes dark roast coffee while others like light roast. Its really little hard to tell in terms of quantity as which one contains less caffeine between these two. But these both contains caffeine & that is harmful for one’s health. Anyways thanks for sharing this article.
Andreea
I looked all over google for
I looked all over for it!! Thanks for the info..pfff! 🙂
Anonymous
Really………who goes by
Really………who goes by the weight? As far as I know, and have been in coffee for six years now, the darker and longer the roast there is more caffeine roasted out but a stronger and more robust flavor, and the lighter and shorter the roast, the more caffeine you retain, but of course lighter and brighter notes. Darker roasts will never have more caffeine than lighter roasts. Now if you want to get into espresso, that is a whole different ballgame.
Anonymous
Beans don’t ‘loose’ water
Beans don’t ‘loose’ water content, they ‘lose’ water content.
Badspeller
really…six years?
really…six years?
Slappy
Light roasts give me
Light roasts give me diarrhea.
Anonymous
I actually do my coffee by
I actually do my coffee by “feel” (so I guess weight). I pour it in the basket until it looks/feels right. I’m too lazy to have a separate scooper or use a spoon b/c then I’d have to wash it. Just wanted to point out that “weight” doesn’t always means that it was measured on a scale. An open mind makes that coffee moment more enjoyable in the morning